One hundred healthcare workers in Southland have been given a special thank you in recognition of their hard work during the Covid pandemic.
Fiordland tourist operators came up with the idea and delivered an adventure no one will ever forget.
The medical staff have been escaping the day-to-day grind for a little R&R in one of the most beautiful places on earth - Milford Sound/Piopiotahi - all free of charge.
It's an unexpected treat for healthcare workers across Southland and Otago and it's all part of the Big Day Away initiative.
Several doctors, nurses and behind the scenes staff from local clinics and hospitals were invited on multiple trips, with the first trial run in June.
One staffer told 1News: “We were like, is this a joke, what’s going on!”
Tony Woodham from Milford Sound Tourism said, “it took some conversations to convince them that this was the real deal".
He approached two smaller Fiordland tourism operators, Cheeky Kiwi Travel and Cruise Milford to get the idea sailing during the quieter winter months.
“It’s been amazing” said Rhys Butting from Cheeky Kiwi Travel.
“It’s been really, really well received.. people getting some kind of acknowledgment... they are going through a tough time.
Cruise Milford spokesperson Hamish Egerton told 1News, “while we were out going for walks and baking loaves of bread [in lockdown], our healthcare workers were busy.. not just doctors and nurses but frontline staff who are absolute heroes.”
He also mentioned mental health and lab workers too.
It’s still a hard slog for many around the country with the health sector under pressure and tourism operators had been too and are slowly bouncing back in the Sound.
“Covid devastated our community commercially,” said Tony.
“We are clawing our way back and on the way we thought about other industries that have done it tough and aren’t getting the same breaks."
Staff from Invercargill were on this special trip.
“It’s amazing, it’s recognition of everything we did through Covid and we worked hard,” one passenger said.
Another said, “when you think back it was tough, but if you actually look at what the supermarket people did, the farmers and the truck drivers did they all did their bit too.”
There is hope more industries could be involved next time they run the programme.
But until then, Milford Sound operators want to see the concept become even bigger.
“What we would like to do is put the challenge out to other regional tour operators to show them how easy it is to do amazing things," said Tony.
A gesture of heartfelt thanks, and what better place than the place once dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World.
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